PLD Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5: A Princess Becomes a Prince's Mentor and the Bizarre Cyberspace Quest For Answers Sub-Entry 41: "This isn't Zion, but the Rabbit Hole Sure Goes Deep... I looked up at Computer Valhalla's over-the-top splash and decor along with the animated neon characature outline of Violet's likeness. I sighed longingly for about the fifth time as I held Asriel's hand. "You don't really seem to be looking forward to this, Volt. Is there something I should know?" "Nothing you should know...but you're going to find out very soon." I rubbed my eyelids. I looked to the doorbell. I wonder what abomination you programmed into it this time? It wasn't so bad when you borrowed the Super Mario Bros. 3 segue from the tri-Lambda fraternity. But your latest ones? I just know we were going to get letters. I nodded to Asriel and he reached up and pressed the doorbell. A decision I immediately regreted. We were greeted with the sounds of Skrillex and 320 kbs of "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites". Or...maybe it was "Breaking a Sweat". You know what? I don't have any idea what Violet programmed in there. :detemmienation: (Music links x 2) Asriel's eyes were as big as dinner plates. I could't blame him for his reaction to his first experience with dubstep. "Goddammit, Vi..." The doors opened with a fwoosh of steam and what I quickly identified as Daft Punk's score from "Tron: Legacy". :detemmienation: (Music link) "It's dangerous to go alone..." I heard Violet say. "But...neither of us are alone--" Asriel started. "Just...don't question her." Inside was just an absolute testament to ridiculous amounts of self-indulgence. One part cosplay cafe, one part internet cafe, one part video arcade and virtual reality center, one part anime haven, and all parts complete and and total brothel of multimedia. Grow up, Violet...you're actually older than Bunnie and you couldn't possibly make me face palm harder. We approached where Violet was seated a hugely modified computer chair, back to us and working at a massive bank of computers. "Stop. Proceed no farther." She said without looking to us. At that a pedestal with a familiar Power Glove rose out of the floor. As the glove opened up into its palm a hololythic tablet materialized top before the glove curled its fingers around it to hold it in place. A holder appeared on top of the pillar in front of the glove.. On the holder in front were a pair of wireless light pens modified to look like fountain pen quills. One in red. One in blue. Oh no. I had a feeling I knew where she was going with this. At that an archway assembled itself directly behind the pedestal. "I have waited my entire life for this day." "Y...you have?" I looked to Asriel and shook my head. "Take that with a grain of salt." "You have had many chances for this encounter. But alas things did not quite go according to plan." "...?" "If you wish to proceed, you must sign in. I will generate your account from here." "Account?" "This is your last chance. After this there is no going back." Asriel remained wide-eyed. "You sign with the blue quill....the story ends...you wake up in your bed...and believe whatever you want to. You sign in with the red quill...you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the Rabbit Hole goes." I knew this speech. All too well. Darn it all, Violet, you're not Morpheus! A pause. Then a half-cough. Violet, no. Don't drag me into this. A full *ahem*. I sighed. "Where we go from here...is a choice I leave to you." I finished the quote in my best Thomas A. "Neo" Anderson impression. Asriel hesitated then reached for the quills...hovering initially over the blue one...before changing his mind and picking up the red one. With that he signed his name on the pad. "Your password is now being displayed. This is for you and you alone. Remember it when you sign in again." "Asriel Tobias Dreemurr-Arcade. Password: THESIXTHANOMALY" I face-palmed again. Vi was milking this for all this was worth. Asriel entered the password on the keypad and then clicked on the ENTER icon. "My my...you have by far the neatest signature I've ever seen. So pristine. So perfect. So......SYMMETRICAL!" Death the Kid, now, Violet? I shook my head and then signed in as well. "Dr. Volt Alessandro Arcade. Password: WISEFROMYOURGRAVE" "You haven't been hitting the classics, lately, Commander." "I've been busy, Violet." "But you MUST play the Sega Saturn!" "Violet, don't you start with the Segata Sanshiro worship again. Asriel's not ready for your level of otaku." "Commanderrrrrr...." She crooned, sing-songy. "Saaaaaay-gaaaaaaah!" "Violet just get on with it." "Okay, okay. Enter through the archway." And so we did. We stopped a few feet behind her. It was then I noticed just how many security and surveilance feeds she had open. Not just here in Computer Valhalla but all over town. We were going to have a talk about this some other day. "Violet, can you make this as painless as possible. I really need your help with--" "Come now. Asriel's had a long day at the dojo. Have a heart! Let him master the Art of Play!" "You okay with this, Azzy?" "I...guess so?" "Well then. Allow me to introduce myself." At that the lights went out as Violet started to spin around in the chair. "Waaaah...!" Asriel grabbed onto me, protectively. With that the spotlights on the cosplay cafe's stage turned on and centered on where Violet was standing in a dramatic pose. "Genius, billionaire, rabbit princess hacker philanthropist. From Little Tokyo, Edoropia I have traveled far and wide, scouring the universe for all that is 1337 and all that is n3rdy! The thousands of movie dialogue I've memorized, the hours logged in intense gaming sessions, the vast number of comic books and manga I've bought in entire series and collections at a time. The questionably sane number of MP3's, memes, vines, and videos I've downloaded! The even more questionably legal weapons I have in my collection...oh, and I think I have Cloud's Buster Sword somewhere in there too...ahem...anyway. Yes, it is with great PASSION and DETERMINATION that I come to you live from the grandest stage of them all! My name...is Princess Violet Usako "Usa-Hime" Tokugawa! For the thousands...er...actually for the both of you in attendance, and the millions and millions of you out there subscribed to my MeScreen channel...ladies, gentlemen, werewolves, and Goat-Son......" Violet grinned disturbingly widely with eyes even wider. This was scarier than anything Chara could pull off. "LLLLLLLLLLLLET"S GET READY TO NERDGASMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!" With that the fog machines, lasers, and strobes, and disco ball all kicked on. Asriel just stood their, mouth hanging party open with an entire rain cloud's worth of anime sweat bullets dotting his head. "Sorry. But I did warn you." was all I could say. Sub-Entry 42: "To Toriel...*ahem*...Tutorial": "Since you've been a good sport up to now, I'll go easy on you with just a quick test of your aptitude. I gotta know what I have to work with, after all." Violet mused. With that a massively over-sized flat panel 4K monitor dropped down from the ceiling. "Ohhh!" Asriel's eyes again widened. "I've never see a TV that big before!" "I have a 2000" inch TV back home." "Two-Thousand?!" "She's kidding." I said crossing my arms. "And channeling Weird Al Yankovic." "I don't know who that is." "You will. Knowing her, you will." With that Violet handed him a modded NES controller. "Huh? What do I do with this?" "Isn't he a kidder, folks?" Violet laughed in her best Dave Coolliere--from Full House--impression, giving him a couple hearty slaps on the back. "Ungh!" Azzy wasn't prepared for the back pats. "......" Asriel looked at the controller than up at Violet. Then shrugged. "You're serious." Violet said, voice deflating. She turned to me. "Jeeze, Commander. Did Tori raise this kid Amish or what?" "Violet..." I grumbled. Did you ever think before you spoke, you insensitive little lop-lop? Though she did have a point. How was it possible that Asriel had never played a video game? For that matter, how in the world did Chara never teach him about them? Violet switched on the wireless device she had installed on it. "Hold it like this." She demonstrated with a second controller. "Er...okay." Asriel tried to be careful with his tiny claws. "Hey, Iris! Load up the Gen-3 consoles. Emphasis on big, grey, and boxy. " "NES library accessed." The building's speech-recognition mainframe responded. "So...what do we cut your teeth on? Platformer? Action? RPG? Racing? Sports?" She listed off the genres. "Or maybe...puzzzle?" She said as if she wasn't really trying to hide that entry. "Puzzle sounds nice. Oh! I get it! This is a game, right?" "Now, you're getting it. I always test the aptitude of the nOObz that come in here." "Noob?" He cocked his head. "Newbie. A person who's never done this before." "Iris, give us some of Alexey Pazhitnov's crowning glory!" "Now loading Tetris." "This is a simple quiz for you. Some easy-going block-stacking. Make as many complete lines as you can, don't cause gaps in the horizontal rows, and don't let the tetriminos pile up to the ceiling or you lose." "Er...okay." "Move the tetrimino block pieces with the cross-key, rotate them with the B and A buttons. Pause if you need to with the start button. The more lines you make at a time the higher your score. Try to score a 4 x 10 block of lines if you can." With that the game started and Asriel began the trial. He was slow at first, but once he caught on with the controls he began to make progress. Violet stood by as he continued his game. "I made a line!" "That's great, kid! Don't get cocky!" Vi smirked with a bit of Han Solo. And from there on it snowballed. Before I knew it he was up to 10 lines...then 20...and 30... He began to smile as he got the hang of it. In fact I watched him pull of several four-line Tetris-es. As the game progressed, the blocks fell faster. And Asriel adapted to them quicker. He started to struggle a little as he surpassed level 90. By the time he got to level 100 I could tell he was really trying. His look got intense by level 120. He gritted his teeth a little. It was the first time I got a look at his tiny fangs. I thought back to Toriel when I battled her. Finally he gave up the ghost at about level 130. And honestly, I felt my ego shrivel a little. Asriel had topped MY high score. But between the two of us we'd never catch up to Violet. Her Hybrid Ability made her natural cheat at the game so she could easily max out the score counter and still keep going. "Awww...I lost." The flustered face he made was just so adorable. But I could tell he wasn't terribly frustrated. Just a little disappointed. "Not too shabby. You got game, Az. Oh yeah...I can work with this easy." "Well, Violet. You satisfied?" "That will do, Goat-Son. That will do." Violet mused. "Meet me in my personal sub-lab at HQ later on. We'll get to the bottom of your curious dilemma." "Agreed." "Oh, and Commander...I think you should give him that special thing you keep in the Delorean. You know the one?" "Violet...are you asking me to give him the--" "Commander...2015 wasn't that long ago. Why sit when you can stand? Why stand when you can walk? Why walk when you can run? Why run when you can fly?" Was she really trying to quote Henry Ford? More like butcher the quote. "Oh....alright. I'll give it some thought. But you're going to have to get him a helmet, knee pads and elbow pads." "Yeah, we can't have the kid busting a grumpy and then busting his head." "Well. Thank you for your help, Violet. We'll be over later one." "Toodles, you two. And remember...STAY FREEEEESH!" Sub-Entry 43: "Headquarters": Well, true enough to my word I brought Asriel to UCIAT's headquarters. And I could tell he was again completely overwhelmed. Not since Metatton's hotel had a monster likely laid eyes on a building of this magnitude. Though I wondered if that even existed at the time he fell into the Void. I just couldn't shake the feeling that there were other things about his Timeline that didn't quite add up. Both the Genocide Timeline I found him in and the Pacifist Timeline I was exploring felt incredibly off for reasons besides the obvious. Maybe in time I'd figure out what was bothering me about them. For now...headquarters was the priority. And inside we would meet up with Violet to get to the bottom of the more pressing matter. The mix of glass and ironwork combined with the shape made it possibly the most futuristic building in Miranda City. While it still wouldn't win the tallest building award (That honor went to Displace International), we had the flash and style to go head to head with Wayne Enterprises and Stark corporate headquarters. Sorry Bruce. Sorry Tony. We got better architects than you. *cocky grin* "It's so...!" "I know. Don't cheapen it with words." I slid my ID into the scanner and opened the door. I lead Asriel past the foyer, checking in with the security detail and the receptionist desk. I brought us to the elevator, opened the door and poked the button for the upper residential levels. I was going to need my access key and such from my safe to enter the basement labs down below. And I kept those in my safe. I rarely used my living quarters on "campus" here. The upper levels housed our corporate business levels. Our lower levels were our classrooms and academic facilities. Below that were recreation, day care, and whatnot. The door opened and we stepped out onto the right floor. "Hey, ex-commander." I got a wave from Willamina "Windshear" Mongoose, another Ecotropian survivor and a member of Sally's OGPX race team. "Great to see you back in town." The yellow-furred hybrid mongoose was in bathing attire and a bathrobe. Looked like she was headed to the indoor pool. Like Bunnie, Sally, Rotor, and Lupe she, too, was a counterpart to the Mobians of off world. Oddly I hadn't encountered her in the new, rebooted universe, following the Second Genesis Wave incident. Violet always joked that she seemed more like a fan creation on DeviantArt...which only made me feel the Council loom over me with a memo telling me to vacate the unauthorized AU exploration. I'm really going to have to discipline Vi about these things one day. "Hey, Mina." "Catch me if you can, slowpoke!" Came a voice from behind. "Ahhh! Not cool, Honey!" Honey "Flametrail" Cat zipped past, the mischievious orange-yellow cat darting past Willamina. Sally's other OGPX partner and yet another Ecotropian survivor, was a spitfire compared to her more reserved other half. Again. Another countpart to a prime version that was out there somewhere in the rebooted Mobius universe. "Checkered flag waits for no one!" She pulled her eyelid down and stuck her tongue out. "Ooooooh!" Willamina slipped off a flip-flop and tossed it, which Honey promptly ducked. "C'mon! Don't do me like that!" There went the other flip-flip. "They're...sure energetic." "Friends of Sally's. They're on the same racing team." We reached my room and I pressed my hand to the biometric plate, causing the door to open. We went inside. Pretty plain room. Pale green walls, old carpet that needed cleaning. A king-sized bed that hadn't been slept in for what seemed like ages. The usual TV, phone, fridge, small cooking area, and furnishings. A quick entry of my numeric code and a thumb-print and open sesame. I retrieved the key card. "Down we go to the basement." Access to the labs required a card key, first to access the elevator functions for the lower levels and again to access the outer door. "Ever been in a lab before?" "I...don't actually remember. Dad used to have a Royal Scientist. If I had ever been to his lab I must've been too young to remember it now." I nodded, suddenly feeling a sadness wash over me. This Asriel had never known the company of Alphys or his time as a Golden Flower in the True Lab. Another thing I had shielded him from. I wonder if he really didn't remember or if the time in the Core had caused him to suppress a number of memories. But I also knew that W. D. Gaster had been erased from existence and from most everyone's memories save for people in Hotland who seemed to remember. Something which I probably should have considered was...if Gaster was aware of what transpired outside of the void; the happenings in the Underground for the past 100 years...what was the possibility that Asriel could have observed it as well? If that were the case...then he was hiding a lot more pain than I initially thought. And had I considered this, I would have had a explanation why he blamed himself for everything that happened. Gods...to see his parents split up...then have to watch his mother die...and everyone else with her. If this was the case...then it was no wonder he was so broken. I reached the inner door. This required just a little bit more security. "Sarge" Arlene W. Pinball's rules. Sometimes our operation's co-founder and head of all UCIAT security tended to go a little overboard on militarization protocol. "No peaking and no listening in, Asriel. It's the rules." Asriel slipped his hands under his floppy ears covering up the ear canals and he closed his eyes tight. I opened my eye, bringing it close enough for the retina scanner to do its job. I pressed my palm to the scanner, letting both the print and DNA scan go through. I entered my code and gave my voice command while finally sliding my key card through the scanner. "Dr. Volt Alessandro Arcade, UCIAT Agent number 0-5-7. My voiceprint is my key, verify me." * IDENTITY ACKNOWLEDGED. WELCOME DR. ARCADE * I was glad that I hadn't been removed from the system after all this time. I gave Asriel a light shake on the shoulder. "Okay, you can look and listen now. But I don't want you walking off with anything in your pockets from here. We'll both get in biiiig trouble." He nodded and took my hand and followed me in. If his awe and wonder was a 10 outside it was easily 100 in what spread before him. "Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah...!" "Welcome to UCIAT HQ's main lab." This area was absolutely massive, filled with technology, lab tables, experiments in progress, factory lines, and populated with lab coated staff a plenty. At the center of it all were the four super-massive pillar of the Supercomputer Quadumverate--the very heart and soul of our research core. In plus formation they stood, interlinked in a parallel-processing colony--NintendoNet, SegaDyne, SonyCom, and MicroTech. Each was its own mother computer capable of quadrillions and quadrillions of calculations per second, each able to render a quarter of the entire lab and the sub-labs within its own quadrant in real-time. But together the pride of Technopolis computer evolution. Who needed a Bat Computer or JARVIS when you had these beauties? "Violet's sub-labs are this way." I lead on past the all of the splendor toward the quadrant that Violet was stationed in. "Doctor! Hey, Doctor! Could you sign off on something!" "Huh? Oh, hey, Felicia--" I started. A sudden furry hug. "Hey! Watch the public display of affection in the workplace!" I cautioned. "And jeeze! Close your labcoat! There's a kid present." Felicia the Catwoman. Brilliant mind, cheerful personality, curious as ever...and still oblivious how very inappropriate her clothing or lack-there-of was in the workplace. It wasn't that she was trying to be lewd. It was more like she was completely clueless about it. I was just glad there was enough fur to cover...at least...some of it. I accepted the tablet and signed and handed it back. "You're just a cutie, aren't you?" Felicia bent down and gave a pretty smile to Asriel. "Howdy!" An oblivious Asriel responded. A pat on the head and she let him go on his way. "She's pretty. And nice." A long walk up and down corridors and we eventually made it to Violet's personal sub-labs. She did most of her software development here but she normally commuted to the DNA library to update our biometric data and xenomorphology indexes. By now Nikita had already had her archive Asriel's genetic sequence. I sighed. "Prepare myself?" "As if it would do any good." I crossed my arms and looked off to the side. "I guess I've been warned again. Violet seems alright, though. How bad could it be?" He said as I pressed the call button. And with that the door opened and for the second time today I regretted it. Sub-Entry 44: "The Method to the Madness of Princess Vi": We were immediately blasted by lights, display, fog and light pyrotechnics as we stepped through the doorway as our ears were pounded by the unmistakable blare of John Cena's entrance theme, "My Time is Now" :detemmienation: (Music Link) "Annnnnnnd his naaaaame iiiiiiis...!" Oh god, NO! The spotlights circled around and rested on Asriel. "ASRIELLLLLL DREE-MAAAAAAAAH!!!!" I think we both face-palmed at the same time. But who could say with my eyes closed? "Cut the music, Violet! And take a memo that we're going to discuss your unauthorized use of laboratory resources for your own amusement." "I am the Absolute Goddess of Hyperlinks! Bow to the Meme Empress!" Came the responding chuckle. "Not even if you turned the gravity up to 100 G." I smoldered. Violet's sub-lab was RIDICULOUSLY big for a personal laboratory. And there was a lot more going on here than just programming and work-related projects. There were way more computers than anyone should probably have in one place. THere were libraries of anime DVD's and Blu Rays. There were countless stacks of video games and consoles wired up. There were all kinds of robot drones and remote controlled gizmos--smart pets and such you'd see in Little Tokyo, Edoropia or in Eki Hiroba, Jang. THere were boxes of Pocky and stacks of manga. Posters lined the walls ranging from anime worship to several Periodic Tables of the Elements. One of them according to Breaking Bad. There was Vi seated at a computer chair before a huge bank of electronic keyboard synthesizers, all wired together and pooled into a huge MIDI interface and other music sequencing and sampling computers. "Welcome to Pacific Tech's Showcase of Smart People on Ice!" "There's no ice in here." Asriel cocked his head. "I think it's a metaphor." "Pull up a seat, Azzy. You play any instruments?" "Mom tried to have me take piano lessons once. Miss Undyne taught me. I dabbled a little with a guitar when Chara was around." "Ahh. Nice and fertile mind. Definitely ripe for musical expansion. Chances are she had you practice something like this." Violet's fingers danced over one of the keyboards that had been programmed to emulate a grand piano. "Yeah, something like that. It was nice but hard to learn. And--" "And no fun, right?" "Well..." "Violet, is there a reason for this?" Violet ignored me. "Piano's nice and all...but I think it could use a little update." Violet rolled her chair over to the "Tune Machine"--the rather flashy, keyboard once used by Fatz "Salvador Alvarez" Geronimo of Mitzi's old rock n' roll band, the "Rock-Afire Explosion. The light up Rock-Afire Explosion display was still in back of the machine as were the lights and display lining its spacey, futuristic hind legs. A whole bundle of wires and cables fed into ports on the machine leading back to Vi's workstations, keyboards and a couple of server towers. With that Violet hack-n-cracked and belted out a high-energy, rockin 80's synth arrangement of "Intro Stage (X)" from Mega Man X3. If anything I could tell she was playing the Project X-Zone 2 remix. :detemmienation: (Music Link) "Really, Violet. Do we have time for--" That was when I noticed Asriel was already dancing to the music. I opened my mouth to speak and pointed my finger up like I was saying "number one"...then I slowly lowered my finger, leaving my mouth hanging open. "I don't even--" "But with time and patience..." Violet rolled over to of all things a massive pipe organ. She got a crazed smile, raised both arms into the air then brought her hands down with a massive bellow of the mighty organ as she pounded out the overture to Phantom of the Opera. :detemmienation: (Music Link) "...anyone can be a virtuoso. You don't have to be a genius...but it helps." Vi finished her song then rolled over to the table with the remote controlled equipment. She picked up the RC box for what appeared to be a massive gyroscope. "You didn't pick up my place did you, Commander?" "I wouldn't touch a thing in here with a ten-foot cattle prod." "Good. Because all of my filth is in alphabetical order. This, for example, is under "H" for.......toy." "What is it?" Asriel asked. Before I could warn him Violet cut in with-- "This? It's a...butt enlarger!" Violet grinned widely as she yanked the antenna on the cradle up. Asriel's eyes doubled and he shrunk back a bit. "Want to try it?" "No!" He yelped. "I'm KIDDING. It's yet another long series of diversions in an attempt to avoid responsibility." "And she does that so well." I fumed. "Y'see, Azzy. I used to be you." Violet switched on the power and the gyrosphere lifted off and hovered around us. Asriel backstepped a bit, clearly intimidated. "And lately I've been missing me so I asked Volt here if I could room with you and he said sure--" "I said no such thing!" I protested. "My last roommate was a neat freak. I went through his wardrobe to see if I could do anything with it, found the usual stuff--shoes, shirts, pants. I had a little trouble with the sport jacket so I threw it out." I knew what Violet was reenacting by this point. Which was why I was about to-- "Duck!" Asriel suddenly hit the floor as the gyrosphere whooshed by him. "Whoah. Nice reflexes." "Violet stop ripping off movie scenes and put that thing down before you kill someone!" Vi rolled her eyes and returned the gyrosphere to the cradle then wheeled herself to the workstations and tapped away. I looked at the screen then facepalmed. "Seriously?" "Come on, Commander! The world's just begging for Nerd vs. Critic, round 3...and 4." "Will you PLEASE stop reigniting the rivalry between James Rolfe and Doug Walker!" "It's a crowd pleaser! You see how many downloads AVGN 2: Ass-imilation has gotten? Everyone loves it when they get into it. " "Did you ever stop to think maybe THEY don't?" "You'll thank me some day." I facepalmed as Vi shuffled through windows and brought up MeScreen. "Still no E.R.B. season 5, part 2. Oh well...it's coming sooner or later." Vi mused then rolled herself over to the stack of DVD's. "Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2? Ugh. Get that trash out of my lab." Vi picked up the DVD case and dropped it in the paper shredder. Vi diverted her attention to a few more things before sitting backward in the chair, resting her crossed arms on the top of the back-rest and resting her chin on top of it. I'd see the same mannerism from Dr. Franken Stein of the Death Weapon Meister Academy (DWMA). Save for the lack of a giant screw through her head, she was just as eccentric if not more so. "Let me let you in on a little secret about me, Azzy." She got up out of the chair. "Voilaa! In view a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicisstitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vixation stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulant vermin vanguarding and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition!" Violet snatched up a light pen and slashed across a computer monitor, leaving a letter "V" within a circle before clicking the post button on her web page's blog over top of a particularly hateful flame war before hitting the ban-hammer, causing DDoS's on several accounts. "The only verdict (for spammers and trolls) is vengeance, a vendetta, held as a votive not in vain, for the value and voracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous." Violet chuckled. "Verily, this vichyssoice of veriage veers both verbose. So let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you, Asriel, and that you may call me "Vi". "Are you some kind of crazy person?" Asriel asked. "Oh, I'm sure they'll say I am." She mused. "You seem to have it all." "Yeah. I don't have a care in the world." Vi said with a grin...one that was painfully, obviously faked. She could see this was one time she wasn't as convincing as she though. A pause then a sigh. "Okay. Confession time." "Vi..." I suddenly felt the mood shift. It was time for the truth behind Violet's bluster to come out. "I know what it's like, man. I used to be you. And not just because we're both royalty. I didn't have any friends until I was 18 years old." "No friends at all?" Asriel suddenly looked very sympathetic. "Family doesn't count. Mom's a hippy-dippy free spirit who's always traveling. I almost never see her any more. Dad's kinda nuts...and I mean that he's mentally incompetent and barely says anything outside of his own name and his impression of a 1960's beatnik scat singer. It's painfully hard to tell if he's even aware of anything, sometimes." "Ohh...I..." "This might seem unlikely as heck, but my first friend became my best friend. Do you know who that was?" "No." "It was Bunnie Rabbotou." "You and Sensei are friends?" "We might not seem like it. We're total opposites and the things I do make her thwap me over the head a lot. But..." Vi looked a little wistful. "It's...what you don't see that counts." I decided to hold my tongue. "The me that I used to be wasn't a very nice person. What you see now is the new me. She's a little more fun-loving, a little happier, a few more additions to my circle of friends. But hey. That's just me." "I think you're very nice, Miss Vi." "I think you're nice, too." That was the sincerest thing I'd ever heard her say. "Anyway...you needed my help figuring what's going on with you. Maybe figure out why those eyes of yours are green. Pity, I kinda liked the red color. We would have been a match." Violet pointed to her own eyes. "Well, follow me this way to the Supercalculator." "Supercalculator? Violet, are you--?" "I'll give you a minute to get yourself up to speed on Franz Hopper's legacy. And why I suggested that Sally take the name D.J. Aelita and the Sub-Digitals when she scratches up the vinyls." "...darn it, Vi." Just like that, Violet slipped out of sincere back to mischievous. Violet opened a steel door that I was sure I had seen in Maverick Hunter territory. It even unlocked and opened in the same manner. I was starting to get a feeling. Violet entered and disappeared into the darkness. I shrugged to Asriel and followed behind. But we were soon stunned to see that somehow Violet had disappeared ahead of us. She wasn't THAT fast... The door closed behind us with those ratchet-y clicks I'd know anywhere. It was only a short distance away before the door in front of us opened up the same way and we stepped through. Immediately it slammed shut with a steely crash. Asriel whirled at the sound. But that wasn't what had my attention. "Violet...did you redecorate in here recently?" My ears drooped as we were suddenly inside an impossibly bigger area. And the weird thing was...I recognized this place from X and Zero's world "Where are we Volt?" I had only taken a step to turn around and answer when suddenly the whole area flashed with red light. "Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Prepare to repel intruders. Emergency Alert!" "Oh no..." I suddenly moaned as a massive roar of supercomputers all around slowly built into existence. The drum-like supercomputer terminal to our left suddenly lit up as a giant ball of blue holographic projection appeared over top of it. "The Central Computer." I replied. :detemmienation: (Music Link) Sub-Entry 45: "Hundred-Legs' Stomping Grounds": "If we get out of this, I'm forcing you to take part in next Festival of the Rabbit...no matter HOW much you hate it, Princess Violet Usako Tokugawa!" I grumbled, too perturbed to ask how we even got off world. As to my threat about Festival of the Rabbit? That was for another time. Let's just say the holiday that Bunnie adored so much was the holiday Violet considered the bane of her existence. So here we were. Inside the corridor's of the Central Computer once taken over by Magna Centipede, formerly a Maverick Hunter of the Special 0 (zero) class batallion until he was kidnapped and brainwashed. From this location he used it to transmit the Maverick Virus all over the world until Commander X destroyed him in battle. :detemmienation: (Music Link) This was a dangerous place guarded by very dangerous security measures; specially designed to analyze and neutralize enemy intruders. Already the Barrier Attackers were out in full force. "Volt? What's going on? I'm scared! I don't like this!" "Just stick close. I'll get us out of this." I brushed the Energized Nanotomic Granular Infrostructure-compression Neotech Encapsulator (E.N.G.I.N.E.) micro-dot on the right side of my black belt and decompressed one of my paired weapons--the plasma vulcan cannons I called Xtremely Badass Twin Octuple Chaingun Laser Cannons. (XBTOCLC's). I pointed and sprayed unimaginable bullet Hell, soaking the protections of the supercomputer with more ordinance than they could handle. I hustled on through the blueish slate-grey corridors, Asriel holding on for dear life. Several levels of catwalks and paths were above, below and around us. Chaser lights and displays lined the machinery. I could make out a window overlooking the city outside of the building. We darted across the gaps in the road and under the platforms. I stopped in my tracks a spotlight swept past us, just missing my nose. Okay. Don't get seen by these. It would be bad-- Suddenly I heard a klaxxon go off and another flash of red lights throughout the facility. whirled to see where Asriel's tail had clipped the path of a spotlight. "Oh no...I did that, didn't I?" "Asriel, move!" I yanked him away as a massive metal block in the ceiling dropped and transformed into a pulse cannon. "Great, the Bleckers are alerted." I thought to myself as I dodged the shots while guiding Asriel away from the blasts. "It was an honest mistake! Apologize later!" A zip through spotlighted territory got us to a more open area. "That was too close. You okay?" Asriel looked up at me and smiled...then suddenly his expression turned aghast. "Azz--" He suddenly yanked on my arm as hard as he could pulling me forward, causing me to stumble a bit. I regained my balance just in time before a deafening crash slammed down behind me with a HUGE blast of air and dust, nearly knocking us both over. I whirled at the MASSIVE steel cube that would have landed right on me. "Whoa...you saved me from a real splitting headache!" Lame joke. I could do better. I could survive getting crushed by one of those but I'd probably never get myself out of it. It would be really hard to hit the Emergency Recall from there. More crashes came down and soon the path was nearly blocked off. "Climb up on my back. We're taking this off road." I squatted down and let Asriel climb up and lock his arms around my neck. "Don't let go." I quickly jumped my way up the mess of Installer cubes and through the quickly changing corridors as even more cubes dropped down. Eventually we crossed another gap and came to a doorway. But once inside we were greeted by another supercomputer drum. And it had a digital surprise waiting for us. I could make out the wire-a-matics as the energy projection took the shape of a katana. "Chop Register." I quickly pushed Asriel to the ground as the sword swung itself toward us. I released the other XBTOCLC and dual-wielded, saturating the cyber-projection repeatedly. "Stay low! We're gonna get out of this!" Asriel log-rolled to the side as a swipe came his way. Nimble little goat. I keep the pressure on as the blade missed my ears by inches. I growled and returned on XBTOCLC to its E.N.G.I.N.E. dot and charged up a blast of electricity in my hand before giving Chop Register a V.O.L.T. Strike down the middle. A crackle and a wavering of code and eventually it self-destructed with a violent explosion. THe other door opened and the path led...down. "Up on my back again, Azzy." He obeyed. I knew what was coming next. I dropped down the hole and we found ourselves in an elevator shaft filled with sweeping spotlights. I leapt from one spot to the next, using my claws and magnetism to grip the walls. A few close shaves and we made it to the bottom. We ran past the overhang before... "You've GOT to be kidding me!!" I exploded as rains of Installer blocks came slamming down, actually causing the topography to change "Volt, look!' I whirled to see a 2-dimensional energy projection cursor--like a hologram--appear and start to track us. This computer was trying to analyze us for weaknesses! If it caught up to us, it would have our combat data and capabilities. I started moving like the wind. Asriel was in for the wildest ride of his life. We reached the other side and I started climbing, the scanner nipping at my heels. We tumble-rolled into the gate as it unlocked and let us in...right into a trap. "What is your deal, man?!" I cried out as the massive Radar Killer robot dropped in and started firing at us. I formed a magnetic dome in front of Asriel, shielding him from the fire blasts. "Weakness...weakness..." It suddenly came to me as I forged a large saw blade ring of dense, compressed electricity and just tore into the machine repeatedly with hit after hit after hit. I keep this up as it jumped around until it too fell. "Anyone else?!" I challenged angrily. "C'mon." I lead Asriel through the other gate and we raced for our lives. The red lights were flashing constantly and the Installers were dropping and sliding everywhere. And on top of that the floor was collapsing behind us. "Hold on!!!" I grabbed onto Asriel and hurtled my body into the gate ahead. We tumbled into the hallway and slid across the super-smooth surface until Asriel's nose lightly touched the final gate. It opened up and there was Violet standing by with a stopwatch. CLICK. "Not too shabby, you two." She said with a grin. "You..." I looked up with furious eyes. I rose up and grabbed her by the kimono and lifted her up, pressing her against the wall. "What the Hell, Vi?!? What the Hell?!?" "Relax, Com,ander. It was all just a simulation. Computer, terminate Magna Centipede run." "Acknowledged, Violet." Everything from the hallway down turned to wire-frame on black before it returned to the simple lab layout I was familiar with that lead to the Supercalculator Room." "All this...just to test our abilities?!" "Admittedly I was going to put you through Cyber Peacock's area but I figured this would be a better test of your ability to adapt." "Is that all you have to say for yourself-- Huh?" Asriel tugged on my lab coat sleeve. "It's okay, Volt. We weren't in any danger. We got through together just like you promised. Sure it was a little scary...but now that I think about it, it was a lot of fun!" That closed-eyes smile. How could I say no to that? I sighed and lowered Vi to the ground. "Violet...why do you do these things?" "Chin up, Commander. You passed my test and I'm convinced you're still as sharp as ever. You've got my respect, man." "Violet..." I sighed. "Alright. But no more favors. Honor our request." Violet nodded and turned the lights on. And there it was. The Supercalculator. A copy of the one at the "Factory" where Jeremy Belpois and company lead their war against the evil X.A.N.A. I looked to the side and sure enough there were the scanner capsules. "So. That's the plan. You're going to scan Asriel into LYOKO and try to analyze him as quantum code." "You guessed it." "Miss Vi? What is...LYOKO?" :detemmienation: (Music Link) "You're about to find out, kiddo. If ever there was a better place in cyberspace." Asriel just blinked. Sub-Entry 46: "Virtualisation": It was about that time we really took in our surroundings. Everything was bathed in a warm neon green glow. So much ironwork and machinery. The Supercalculator in the center of the room was dome-shaped with the top part sliced off; similar to the drum computers of Magna Centipede's Central Computer. And of course it was projecting a huge spherical hologram. In the center of which was a 3-dimensional map of multiple...sectors. Like a ring of planets. A solar system of sorts. And directly over it was a second ring of planets--perfect copies or "Replikants" of the first set. A quick toggle to a different view expanded each sector into topographical maps, detailing the paths. From a giant robotic arm hanging from the ceiling, a massive mainframe computer was suspended off the ground, easily accessible from Violet's chair. Violet had outdone herself recreating a mostly offline version of LYOKO. The Replikants however had to be run online at offsite server facilities, so that meant getting to them inside LYOKO required crossing the Digital Sea. Which by normal methods meant permanent de-virutalization. But Violet had her ways around that. Her correspondence with Jeremy Belpois had seen to that. Off to the side were six conspicuous metal cylinder capsules. Each was painted with a familiar ice blue logo--a bullseye pattern with three foot-stubs on the bottom and an elongated arrow-antenna on top. The symbol of LYOKO. "I've only had time to put the basic framework for a new profile into the Supercalculator. I'll work on getting him set up proper as we go." Violet took her seat at the computer system. "You're sure this is going to work?" "Hey, I didn't pool through thousands of pages of Waldo Schaeffer's notes just to hand you one big goose egg. You have any idea how much trouble it was for a rabbit hybrid to sneak in and out of Kadic Academy unnoticed just to talk to Jeremy and the others?" "I have a pretty good idea." "Human. Hybrid. Monster. The scanner won't know the difference. Well...technically it will but if it's alive, walks on two legs, and has intelligence it can find its way into LYOKO." "Yeah? What about something four-legged?" "I...don't recommend it. Odd Della Robia learned the hard way not to sneak pet dogs into the scanner underneath your clothing." "I'll take your word for it." "It's as fundamental a life's lesson as don't feed him mustard crackers. The poots are not something you want to be sniffing all day." "Violet please curb the low-brow and do your job." I moaned rubbing my temples. "Right, right. I've only got the pre-existing profiles ready. Which means Asriel will have to use the others' data." "How many you got to work with?" "I have the programming for Ulrich Stern, Odd Della Robia, Yumi Ishiyama, and Aelita Schaeffer and..." Violet's gaze kinda fell. "...William Dunbar." "Violet. They got him back. Let it go." "I know...but...all that time under X.A.N.A.'s control..." It was rare seeing things that were actually personal to Violet. Sure it was all in the past. Sure it was a case that seemed like it had no relevance to now. But there was more to it than met the eye. In fact, I saw a lot of hidden parallels below the surface when I thought of the Kadic Academy kids' mission to "reset it all". But in that case...it had a much different meaning. And it wouldn't just be quantum code that the LYOKO case had in common with Chara, Frisk, and the Underground...but I was getting ahead...or behind myself. It was about that time I checked on Asriel. And much to no surprised he didn't look like he had a clue what we were talking about. I could tell he was lost long before we even delved into old memories and nostalgia. "Alright the Scanner is set up." Violet said as one of the big metal cylinder capsules hummed to life and its doors slid open. "Come with me this way." Violet took Asriel's hand and let him to the Scanner. "Miss Violet? What is this thing?" "A scanner." "What's it' going to scan?" "You." "Me?" Asriel kinda gasped. "Will...will it hurt?" "No. It might even be a little fun. What am I saying, it's going to be lots of fun once you're virtualised." "Virtualised?" "Think of it like...being in a dream but you're wide awake. You're going to have special abilities, too." "Wow." "Okay, in you go and don't move too much. You'll know when you can move again." Asriel looked at it a little warily. He sat down and slipped his sandals off and left them to the side of the machine and stepped in. Violet took her seat and got started. The doors closed. Asriel looked so nervous. One of the monitor banks switched to the inside of the capsule as well as readouts of Asriel's vitals and such. The heart icon bar graph was tell tale. Currently the number next to it was blank but that would change soon enough. "Scanner: Asriel." Violet prompted as the machine hummed to life. Asriel was lifted off his feet by an unknown force, suspended in midair. I got a chill down my spine as I felt the memory of a different instance of Asriel unleashing the Final Power--the release of all of the souls he had taken into his body as one final act to crack the barrier. Seeing him hover like that made me uneasy. I knew this was different but seeing him with his eyes closed like that... Green-yellow energy--like neon rain--poured upward all around him as a pale yellow ring of energy encircled him and swept up his body, latent static cracking onto him as he spun like a top at a semi-slow pace. His fur only slightly poofed a bit as his ears were dragged upward by the unknown air currents. But I could tell he wasn't in any pain. It actually looked like the process was very pleasant to him. "Transfer: Asriel." Violet prompted again as the light became brighter. "Virtualisation." Asriel's fur was dragged upward as if he was standing on an air vent. And the inside of the capsule went completely white. I could see the red crackles of quantum energy barrel up the cables pouring out of the machine. I turned my attention to the surveillance feed of the sector of LYOKO Violet had chosen. "Mountain Sector." If Violet was playing this the way I thought she was, then this was going to parallel the Undertale treks pretty closely. And the starting point was always at the top of Mount Ebott. By extension, Violet would probably send Asriel either to the Forest or Sector 5; the former because of the parallel of plant life in the ruins, the latter because Sector 5 was fairly "archaic" as far as computer environments went. This was as close as a "ruins" as you could get. From there I assumed the Ice Sector would be the logical choice since the ruins led to Snowdin. Since there wasn't a waterfall area, I guessed that the Desert area was next on the list. Or Sector 5. And that meant a final stop in the Replikant area off-site--The Volcano. A perfect counterpart to Hotland. "Asriel. Wake up, Asriel. Wake up and test out your new virtual body." "Huh...wha...?" Asriel's eyes opened. "Oh...!" He blinked several times and looked at his hands, flexing his fingers. And again I got a chill up my spine. It was the same as when the other instances of him...Flowey...had absorbed all of the Monster Souls in the underground and regained his old child form. My breathing must've gotten a little quicker because I was deathly afraid the next words out of his mouth would be "At last. I was tired of being a flower. Chara? Chara are you there? It's me! Your best friend...ASRIEL DREEMURR!" "Hey. You alright?" Violet shook me a little. "F-F-Fine. Just fine." "Well...what do you think? He looks good as an M.M.D. don't ya think?" And then she snapped me out of it by saying something stupid. There he stood...how could I put this..? Real-er than...real. I guess that was the best way to put it. I had seen CGI rigs and Vocaloids in the past. But seeing someone as they appeared inside LYOKO was beyond description. "I pre-loaded you with Ulrich's ronin samurai profile. But I can cycle you to the others to see if we can get you a better fit. In time I'll put together something more customized for you." Asriel reached up and felt the headband then looked at at his outfit. A sleek body suit. Somewhere between ninja and shinobi was my guess. Guards on his arms. A pair of katanas were strapped to his back. "I modified it slightly to accommodate you. I switched out the tabi-esque boots for waraji rope sandals. Y'know give your feet some breathing room. Also changed the color palette to something more familiar. Purple and white were the color of Toriel's robes, right? I also changed your headband icon to be your family's Royal Crest." Violet seemed pleased with herself. Asriel looked at the rope sandals, wiggling his toes a lot. They must've had a different feel than his Delta Rune buckle sandals. Plus he was still pretty used going barefoot from his old life. He examined his outfit a bit. He bent, flexed, and twisted, getting used to how he moved in this form. "So. What do you think?" Asriel looked down a bit...then looked up. "I've got...a lot of questions." "Of course you do. Give me a chance and I'll try to answer them all." "But...I have to say..." Asriel's gaze fell again...but only for a brief moment before I saw the sudden cocky grin. He tightened his fists and brought them over his chest and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment in a look that said he was really trying to contain his excitement...and failing. He opened his eyes again and there was that look with the starry-eyes I'd seen on a certain blueberry in a different AU and that hyper-genki expression I had seen before. He suddenly jumped up and exclaimed, his echo reverberating throughout the mountains. "THIS IS SO COOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!" Sub-Entry 47: "Twenty Questions...and Then Some": "Okay, Asriel. I'm setting up to start running background diagnostics and tests on you. We'll get to the bottom of your curious code, yet. For now...just play around a bit. If you get bored, I can set you up with some training to show off your normal and special attacks." "Okay...um......." Asriel paused. "...I know we just met and we're friends and all..." Asriel started. "But...is it weird if I start calling you Aunt Violet?" "Heh. The strange thing is...you're not the only one who does. Call me anything but late for anime night. But from now on I gotta get you an endearing nickname." "I'll bet it's something cool like--" "From now on, I'm calling you...Cinnamon Roll." Asriel's WTF expression was enough to make me let out a short laugh. But I turned serious, as I was not about to let him think I was making fun of him. "C...Cinnamon Roll?!?" He protested, face scrunching up and looking like he was about to shed a few tears. "Violet...I don't even want to know how, where, and why you came up with that of all possible nicknames." "Hey! Now what kind of look is that for a mighty warrior to wear when he's about to do some cool moves and fight some bad guys." "F...fight?" But...I don't want to hurt anyone--" "Relax, Cin-Bee. Nothing I throw against you will be even remotely alive. They'll be more like...Training Dummies." "Training Dummies that hit and shoot back, Vi. Or did it slip your mind to explain THIS to him?" I pointed to the Life Point gauge. The red heart was glowing and beating. The number next to it displayed 100. "Oh yeah. Like any video game if you take a hit, you'll lose Life Points. That's what that gauge in the HUD overlaying your vision in." "Huh...didn't notice that. I guess I was just too excited to pay attention. Weird. I think I understand, though." Kind of a strange thing to overlook and for this long. "If your Life Points drop to zero, you'll get de-virtualized and be kicked out of the system. Dreams aren't much fun if you don't do anything with them." "I guess you're right, Aunt Vi." "Why don't you start by moving around? And maybe getting a feel for your swords." "..." "Hey. It's okay. You can use those things without hurting or getting hurt. It's not a bad thing if you learn a little self-defense. After all...didn't your dad, the King, teach the head of the Royal Guard how to fight?" "Miss Undyne? Y-y-yeah. But..." Asriel's expression turned pensive. "How do you know about that?" "Violet..." I grumbled, warning about bringing up things we couldn't and shouldn't bring up in his presence. "Look, Azzy. I know it's frustrating to know we keep a lot of secrets from you. A lot of things you're not ready to know just yet. We're only trying to protect you from them." "I know but...it's weird how much you know about--" "Asriel. I can't tell you much of anything...yet.......but you have my word. Someday. I'll be able to tell you everything. What it is I really do. Why I was on your world. Why I spent 100 years searching for you before I found you and saved you from the collapse of your Timeline. My original position in the Space-Time-Continuum Agency...and MISSION." I explained, sounding much like Data the robot monkey from yet another case; the one on Terra that we now code-named "Digoutter's Adventure Story in Halcyon days." "D.A.S.H." for short. I entertained the notion of bringing Asriel to Kattalox and exploring the ruins when he was older and better trained to survive off world. Maybe introducing him to the Casket family and letting him meet another...*chuckle*...superhero--MegaMan Volnutt. "Can you at least tell me...who you are, Volt?" I tried to avoid all this, but now it looked like I didn't have a choice. Maybe...it was okay to at least tell him this. "I know I'm taking a risk...but I'm a Time Traveler. And...I was able to search for you for 100 years because I don't grow old. I don't age. I'm...nearly immortal." "All of this power and immortality...how did you get it all? Did you...absorb human souls--?" "No! No, oh gods, no. No...my powers came from...something else." "That's...that's a relief." I admit. It was a selfish request. But I just had to safe guard him. There could be no chance of Flowey or the Absolute God of Hyperdeath ever returning. I was paranoid, still plagued by the nightmares...but I felt hammering the final nail in the coffin containing Chara's reckless plan was the only way I could alleviate my worry. I knew what I had to do. "Asriel. Absorbing souls is the worst thing in the world. At least I think so. I trust you enough that I don't feel like I have to hold you to a promise. The reason...I think...the reasons you were spared because some...higher power didn't want you making a big mistake." "I.....still don't understand why...I was chosen of all people. I'm a coward and I worry and cry so much. " "You know something, Best Friend? That's me in a nutshell. Just ask anyone in UCIAT how much I worry myself sick over everyone I care about." "But..." "Remember Bunnie's teachings. As another of her masters...one other than Master Splinter....used to tell her in his own words: Concentrate not on destroying your foe but on attaining your own victory. Trust your instincts. Push yourself to the limit!" Violet looked on and grinned as I found myself trying to be as sagely as Bunnie and gave the best, fortune-cookie-speech I could manage. Okay. So I overdid it. Really overdid it. I absolutely flooded him with fortune cookie metaphors right out of every Zen guru there was. If you're still with me, please don't face-palm. Please don't cringe. I know it was super-lame. But at least Asriel didn't think so. "Be prepared for the unexpected. Concentrate mind and body as one. Achieve tranquility through movement. Integrate spirit and flesh. Channel the powers. Focus the mind. Cleanse the soul. Focus that which is native. Separate darkness and light. Mind and body as one. Oneness through knowledge. Give birth to yourself. Oneness through emotion. Define your existence. Create your divination. Oneness with the Heavens! From strength...learn gentleness. Through gentleness..." "Tch..." Asriel bowed his head and closed his eyes. "Through gentleness...strength will prevail." He finished. A moment of silence. "Good speech." Vi pat my shoulder. Annnnnnd moment ruined. I rubbed the bridge between my eyes and tried to salvage the profound moment. Or at least convince myself it was profound in the first place. I wonder how many deities I offended trying to be wise and cool? One of them had to be cringing. "Mind cleared?" I asked Asriel. Silence as his eyes remained under the shadow of his bangs.Then he looked up with a confident smile and a look of...determination. He tightened his fists as if he were tightening the belt of his gi and gave a nod. "Hmm! Mind cleared." "So...any more questions?" "More than twenty. They can wait. We'll get to them some day. Now...show me what this body can do." "Alright. Let me get set up. Volt, I need you to get some equipment from the tables over there." "Gotcha. I'm on it." Sub-Entry 48: "The Price to Pay to Be a Wet-wired Courier": "Okay. I need a Sino-Logic 16...SOGO-7 Data Gloves...a GPL Stealth Module...one Burdine intelligent translator...and Thompson Eye-phones." Violet opened a metal briefcase and wired the computer contents of it into the Supercalculator. I handed her all of the necessary parts where she assembled it into both the case and the machine. She slipped on the gloves and the Eye-phones, lowering the visor. Violet started assembling more of the rig. She attached the cylindrical unit to the clear Mado brand hard-copy printer and plugged it in. She fit a tiny optic disk into a nearly frame-less Hayo brand high-speed magneto-optic drive. She stringed together wiring into a circuit block marked with Xingese and Jangese writing. "Violet...is all this really necessary? I...get nervous whenever you have to--" "I need to install this software digitally to my own cortex in order for my Hybrid Ability to handshake with LYOKO's quantum code. Only I can handle this many Quebits of information without it resulting in neurological failure." "Violet...if Asriel knew how dangerous this was to attempt..." "Hey...it's me. This hasn't been my first rodeo. Did I ever tell you how I almost became a Data Courier?" "Right. But then you'd have to drop a large chunk of your long term memories to make room for the wet-wiring in your skull. I have my hands full with one amnesiac on my team. I don't need you butchering yourself just so you can hold terabytes of information without data degration. Anyway...are you sure you can handle all this? I mean...with Couriers who upload more than their memory capacity, they suffer the problem of "seepage"." "Relax. I'm not going to endanger myself like Johnny Mneumonic." :detemmienation: (Music Link) "Hope so. We're a long way from a Dolphin named Jones if we need to unscramble your brain." Violet's eyes lit up with neon light as purple as her name. I'd graced over the special "mutant powers" of Genetic Hybrids. Most of my Hybrid Crew had them. Even Gadget. Bunnie's Hybrid Ability was her Sixth Sense, for example. In some way or another a Hybrid's Hybrid Ability was comparable to Ecotropian Lycans' elemental mastery. Some Hybrids even had elemental powers similar to my own. This was Violet's Hybrid Ability--Organic Ultra-Calculation; The power and speed of an entire server farm of supercomputers within her own brain. Able to upload massive amounts of programming to it and run it in real-time. Able to see the "Matrix" code in its raw binary "rain" form. And so much more. Chances are, she could probably create an entire virtual world in her head and render it in real-time. But then again...I was making assumptions how her powers worked and what their limits were. Only Violet knew for sure what she was capable of. Violet opened up her laptop and access her Internet TV service. "When the counter reaches zero, click on three frames on the TV. Any three. They'll meld with the data and I won't know what they are. That's the download code for later when I need to purge my memory. This will print out a hard copy. Upload begins when you press here." Violet pointed to the optic drive start switch. I nodded and sighed. As much as I joked about hurting Vi for being stupid, I couldn't stand the though of her getting hurt for real. And one mistake from this would mean serious brain hemorrhage. She lowered the eye-phones and stuck the mouth guard in over her teeth. "Hit me." I thumbed the switch and stepped back and braced. The disc started to spin...and Vi started to shudder violently and grit her teeth as she clutched the arms of the chair. She grunted and groaned as her mind was flooded with data at a TERRIFYING speed and volume. The numeric counter started speeding backwards from 320.00 GB. I watched her claw at the chair and writhe as the counter ticked down. When it got close to zero I clicked on the laptop three times in success, capturing the images. And then it was finally over. Violet raised the Eye-phones and pried her hands off the chair. "Violet? You okay?" "Give me your handkerchief." I handed it to her after she suddenly lurched forward. "DAMMIT!" She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched her head. Then she accepted the handkerchief and squeezed it around her nose. She breathed in and out for a bit then handed it back...a fairly large bloodstain on it. She held pressure on it until the bleeding stopped. "You're going to be the first person to give a werewolf a heart attack, Vi." I pocketed the hard copy strip of images from the printer. "Okay. I'm going in." Violet slipped on the data gloves and lowered the eye-phones again, shoving the upload equipment to the side. Violet started accessing LYOKO, directly streaming the data to her optic centers. After a bit of manipulating the Data Gloves and poking around the interface that would probably put me or anyone else in a coma... Sub-Entry 49: "Mastering the Basics": "What do you see, Violet?" "Well so far far the bioelectric composite of his digital self seems pretty tell-tale. Nothing yet but I'm still just scratching the surface." Violet contacted Asriel. "Okay, move around. Run. Jump. Swing your swords. Do whatever. Let's get some kinetic data." "Okay." Asriel took off at what he thought was a brisk sprint but to his surprise he tore off, leaving a dust cloud. "Whoah! So fast! I didn't know I could run like this!" "Try jumping." "Waaaaah! My body's so light!" "Try dodging." "Dodging?" "Here. I'll give you a little incentive." Violet said as a she motioned with the gloves. Asriel had barely any time to react when one of X.A.N.A.'s tank bug creatures appeared on the battlefield and unleashed a ring of energy. "YIKES!" His form blurred as he dove to the side and cartwheeled as the wave passed over him. "Viiiiiiii! That was meeeeean!" He cried. "Loosen up, Cee-Roll. You're doing just fine and I'm getting great data." "If you say so. But could I have less nasty surprises like that?" Some more of X.A.N.A.'s polymorphic creatures and Asriel was quickly playing defense. It was just like at the dojo. "You know you could try to actually go on the offense. Those Twin Sabres aren't just for decoration." Asriel swallowed hard and pulled one of the energy blades from its scabbard. "You're not gonna advance until you defeat your foes. And I'm sure you're gonna tire out before I learn anything." "Focus, Asriel. Even Asgore worked up the nerve to pick up that trident spear of his." That was a risky thing to say. He'd ask me how I knew about that. The incoming laser shots streaked toward him. I guess it was my turn to take a risk with something to trigger him to finally take action. "Azzy...remember how brave your were when you saved me from the Installer block back there? Remember that feeling! Imagine I'm in danger again, and my best friend is all that's standing in the way of the enemy disintegrating me. Draw upon the feeling that you don't want to let go and channel that desire to protect. Just let go and let it snap." "...!" A glint appeared from the shadow underneath his head fur. In a blinding flash Asriel had suddenly deflected all of the lasers. In that moment...I saw shadows of Asgore. I'm sorry, Toriel. Forgive what we do. But even you said it yourself: "Prove to me that you're strong enough to survive." He zipped toward the first creature and the blade flashed. His foe broke apart into voxel cubes and vanished. "Way to go, Cin-sy!" "I'm really going to hate that nickname..." I heard him mutter. "Hmm?" He spotted the movement out of the corner of his eye and drew the other saber and started duel wielding. I felt a familiar anxiety creep over me as I remembered the God of Hyperdeath duel-wielding those Chaos Swords. Easy, Volt. Easy. It's just a coincidental parallel. This meant nothing. "Good! Alright, you got all that down. It's time for you to use your...SPECIAL ATTACK!" Violet "plurked" down a larger foe this time. "It's time to Triplicate!" "T-Triplicate?" "Focus and access your Special Energy and summon forth your copies." "Er...okay....umm..." Asriel concentrated. At first...nothing...then. An identical duplicate suddenly leaped out from him at the same time a second identical duplicate leaped out from him in the opposite direction. It sort of reminded me of Dr. Wily's Gemini Man robot master. "Hey! You're...you're me!" "You're me, too!" "You're also me!" "Wow! I have a cool new friend!" "You're cool, too!" "Not as cool as you!" "But you're cooler!" "Hey, you're both pretty cool!" "Asriel...er...Asriels. Eyes forward and focus." "Sorry, Aunt Vi!" All of them said in unison before swooping in their foe and struck at the same time. No sooner had the enemy dissolved, the Asriel trio merged back into one. By now he was beginning to embrace instinct and put aside his feelings of non-violence. And then Violet would just have to go and ruin it with something she picked up from my personal logs from the stable timelines... "Geeeeeeeet dunked onnnnn!" Violet hollered out. "D...dunked on...?" Asriel lowered an eyebrow. "Why...do I know that expression?" I had a sudden chill from that; the thought that maybe faint echoes of memories of other timeline versions of Asriel...or rather Flowey were resonating in Asriel's unconscious mind...or his soul... "We need to talk, Vi." I shuddered, feeling Sans' influence in the room somehow. Sub-Entry 50: "We Will Stand Real Tall, Stronger After All...": "Alright. You passed the tutorial stage, Asriel. Time to take it up to the next level. Okay, guys, you can come in now!" "What?" I turned as the door opened and in stepped Mitzi, Gadget, and Pit. "What are they doing in this secure sector of the lab, Vi?" "I called them here. So. You three know what to do?" "I...guess so." Pit scratched his head. "Yay! We get to play with Asriel! This is going to be so fun! I'm going to do my best-est!" "You're sure wound up." Mitzi crossed her arms. "Okay, take your places, team." "Team?!" I gasped. Three more Scanners opened up and Mitzi, Gadget, and Pit took their places inside. "Scanner: Mitzi. Transfer: Mitzi. Scanner: Gadget. Transfer: Gadget. Scanner: Pit. Transfer: Pit. Virtualisation!" And with that Asriel was joined by three more players. Mitzi materialized first in a kunoichi's battle attire. The top was very kimono-esque, cut off at the mid-rift, showing off a little belly button with an oriental skirt, knee-high socks, and shoes that looked like they came from a school uniform. She had a lavish bow in back of the top similar to Vi's. It had a green and white color scheme. She held in her grasp a pair of Jangese Tessan war fans. Gadget 's was similar, resembling a cross between a sleeveless gi jacket and a tank-top. A small oriental skirt, leg bands up in un-matching patterns up and down her legs, and tabi toe-socks. Hers was almost completely pink. She held her palm up, generating hazy ball of pink energy. And Pit's was a sleeveless tee-shirt with a gold version of the Arrow of Palutena I had seen on his angel form's wrist guard. The bottom was half a body suit with heavy knee pads and cat-like boots and cat-like paw-gloves. Plus he had a cat's tail in the back. His was mostly white and gold. His cat paw gloves seemed to have some kind of dart launchers on them that shot Claw Darts. "Miss...Mitzi? Gadget? Pit? What are you three doing here?" "Well, they're your team. Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to lead them to the Tower at the end of the Mountain Sector, enter the tower and all three of you stand in the node inside and shut the tower down." Violet smiled. "B-B-B-But Aunt Violet! I d-don't know h-h-how to lead a t-team!" Asriel panicked a little. "Then you'll learn. The easiest way is by crash course." "But..." "No butts, Cinnamon Roll." "Cinnamon Roll?" Mitzi questioned with a smirk. Asriel reached up and grasped his ears and pulled them around face, hiding his eyes and his intense blushing. He was so beet red it likely was visible through his facial fur. "It's a cute nickname! I like it!" Gadget hugged him. "Mph..." Azzy was again unprepared for the public display of affection. It was a hug but it was the hug of a family member rather a romantic one. "But...we haven't even practiced with each other. How will we ever--" Pit started. "Simple. A 1980's montage!" Vi grinned as she accessed a music player on her laptop and piped its music into the Supercalculator so that we and the LYOKO crew could hear it. And with that the trek through LYOKO began. It was an adventure for the times as the four of them discovered their powers; from Asriel's Triplication to Gadget's Flight Wings to Pit's wall-scaling Cat Climb, to MItzi's telekinesis and tightrope balancing. And finally it led to the tower. The quartet stepped onto the bullseye rings of the LYOKO logo as each lit up in sequence. "Go ahead, Asriel. You can have the honors." Violet smiled as the hololyth appeared before him and the prompt awaited his password. "What do I do?" "Type in L-Y-O-K-O. And then you've won the game." And so Asriel did and that was that. The four scanner capsules opened with fwooshes of steam and all four stepped out. Each noticeably tired but definitely content. Asriel put his sandals back on and enjoyed the group comradery. I had to admit. Violet's methods were strange, weird, eccentric, a little twisted...but they got results. What Asriel was scared of doing in the public setting of Rabbotou Dojo, he'd learned to defend himself in the privacy of Violet's virtual world. I had a feeling that Bunnie and Violet, working in tandem, could get Asriel to really blossom......okay, backing up from the flower metaphor. Eh-heh-heh-heh... "You did good, kids." "Hey. I'm no kid." Mitzi crossed her arms, sounding sassy. "Admit it. You enjoy the compliment." "Just this once." Mitzi smirked. "Ahem." Bunnie's voice got our attention. "I wondered what was eating up the lab's computer power." Sally smirked. "Just us "Garage Kids"." Violet mused. "That's...another obscure reference, isn't it, Violet?" I shook my head. "Maaaaybeeeee." "Well. I hope you finished up what you needed to do. It's getting late and Scott and Callista should have Asriel-kun's dinner about ready." "So did you crash the mode in there?" Sally asked. "Er..." "That's a good thing, Az-ma-taz." Violet clarified for Sally. "Uh...well then...I guess yeah, I did." I gave Bunnie a nod and an approving smile. She picked up right away that all was well. "Well then. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave." Bunnie exited in her usual ninja fashion. "I'll show you guys out. Cool?" "Cool, Miss Sally." "More like WAY past cool." Sally said with a wink and a grin as she took Asriel's hand and led out of the lab basement and UCIAT HQ itself. Gadget and Mitzi followed behind. "So. Anything interesting, Violet?" I asked. Violet took off her gear and packed everything up. "Yeah...I did find something. Something at a sub-atomic, quantum level. Interlaced with his composition--the part that is matter-based--I found something akin to strongly correlated quantum spin liquid (SCQUSL). It seems similar to the quebit processing, storage, and manipulation I see in arc transistor arrays formed in Herbertsmithite ZnCu3(OH)6Cl2 single crystal nano-gels and nano-sols comprising next generation semiconductors. I've compiled the data on the long range magnetic orders and the spin freezing factors. Based on the energy processes I've observed it's like the complete opposite of Dark Matter Ion Trapping & Recovery Infrostructure (D.M.I.T.R.I.). If I had to draw a comparison, it's more like a solar computer colony. Did you get any of that?" "Actually...yeah. And oddly...that makes a little bit of sense when you consider the Dreemurr Family's affinity for fire-type magic. And there's no greater fire than the sun. But...why is it manifested like this and not as magical power? Why is it one part solar fusion and one part quantum computing?" "It looks like some of these digital wavelengths seem to suggest exposure to some kind of...dark energy. But instead of contaminating him, it looks like he built up a natural immunity to it. To the point of super-compressing his sub-quantum structure. Upon coming here, the pressure got released and the very essence of our world just flooded the holes in between quarks. From his time here in Miranda this new configuration must've evolved into its current solar quantum array. On the surface he's just as normal as anyone else in town. But when you go beyond what can be broken down to protons, neutrons, and electrons...he's become something remarkably similar to Scott." Violet looked over the data further. "There's also foreign code that I've identified after discerning and deciphering discrete patters I found in his bio-rhythms, his natural bio-electric field, his genetic data, and there's additional brainwave activity beyond the usual alpha, beta, and delta waves that Callista will confirm exist deep in his subconscious. Might explain his eye color, too. But it's just speculation. So...where in that Timeline did he get this imprinted into him. And how?" At the time, it completely slipped past me why the mention of "genetic data" and "bio-rhythms" seemed out of place. But it was be far down the road before things became clear. I blame the fact that I hadn't gone back to Sarina to test his magic and I wouldn't do so for a long time to come. Again, I'm getting way ahead of myself. Nevertheless, it was my turn to have an answer for Violet, regarding the code. It could have only come from one place...no...from one person. "It may have come from Frisk." I reasoned. "It's a weird thing to speculate but maybe Frisk...discarded the unwanted part of their HUD when they went on their Genocide run. Somehow it got sucked up into the Core and compressed into Asriel's very being over the course of 100 years. I saw a lot of code being ripped apart as the world was collapsing around us." Including what I thought was the whole of the Continue and Reset data. But what if... "Might explain the broken framework. Well. I capped off the damaged area and cleaned up what I could. It shouldn't degrade or become unstable but...I don't know anything beyond that." "Thanks, Vi. You've made up for your your stunts--" Violet grinned. "For TODAY." I finished. "Aww." She pouted. "Anyway. I have a lot to discuss with Nikita. You head on up and be with your best friend and the others. I'll catch up later." "Right. See ya, round, Violet." "Stay fresh." She said plainly before turning back to the massive pools of data on the holograms and monitors, staring longingly at the wire-a-matic of Asriel. "You really ARE something special......Cinnamon Roll." Chapter 6 Back to Part 1 Back to Project: Lost Dreemurr